Escuela Infantil Puerto Madero

As the first public preschool for children in the Puerto Madero neighborhood, Escuela Infantil Puerto Madero provides children with a playful, green space to learn. In addition to standard subjects, students in the preschool are also taught about the need to protect and care for the environment. Developed by Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero (CPM), a state-run corporation owned in equal parts by the national government of Argentina and the City of Buenos Aires, the school represents the city’s commitment to its sustainable development.

Situated along the waterfront of the city, Puerto Madero once existed as a largely abandoned former railroad zone with decaying buildings. Today, the neighborhood has undergone a rapid transformation as part of Buenos Aires’ urban renewal project. Puerto Madero now draws both tourists and locals as new businesses, homes, public parks and a revitalized waterfront have made the neighborhood a destination.

Built in tandem with the growing population of the Puerto Madero neighborhood, the Escuela Infantil Puerto Madero school conserves natural resources and minimizes carbon emissions. The school is expected to reduce its energy use by nearly 60% with energy-saving lighting and natural ventilation for the classrooms, which will dramatically improve thermal comfort for the students, providing a better learning environment. Other features such as water-efficient landscaping conserve water, while construction materials such as steel sheets on steel rafters for the roof reduce the embodied energy in materials. These pragmatic design measures were implemented with no incremental costs or payback period for CPM and will ultimately result in utility savings.

The Escuela Infantil Puerto Madero has received a preliminary EDGE certificate from GBCI.